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It’s Go Time!
By Kenneth Piper
While there are geographic variations, Halloween generally marks the beginning of what I consider to be the start of serious rut activity throughout a majority of the whitetail’s range.
Of course, bucks have been willing, ready and able to breed all fall, but the last few days of October are when their frustration reaches its peak. They know breeding can begin any day (although they don’t think of it like a human would). They just know instinctively that it’s all about to happen. Their hormones are driving this train, and it’s running at full speed.
While the last few days of October can be excellent for seeing bucks on their feet, it’s also when their behavior becomes even more unpredictable than usual. No longer are they casually moving from bedding to feeding and back again. Any movement now will include side trips, detours and possibly even moves to new areas as they frantically search for the first whiff of estrous doe.
Field edges can still be productive since bucks will be anywhere does concentrate, but staging areas just off fields are more likely to produce a shot opportunity. Better yet, find funnels of cover between bedding areas and fields. In the woods, oak stands are obvious hotspots.
The most important thing is to be prepared to move to the hot activity. If your field-edge stands aren’t producing deer sightings like they used to, it’s time to move; you can’t shoot deer that aren’t there. Those stands can still be helpful in pinpointing better deer movement, however.
The end of October is a time of transition in both food sources and because full-on breeding is about to kick in. Have a climber or lock-on setup with sticks ready to deploy on a moment’s notice. Saddle hunters have a huge advantage in being able to move with deer activity, but using them requires a learning curve.
Whatever your preference, try to have an option ready at hand without having to go in the woods to tear down an existing setup. When you see hot activity, there’s no time to waste. You need to get in there and hunt it immediately. The only thing certain about deer activity right now is it could change tomorrow. Be ready to go!